Max Guenthner

About how much earth is required to build a rocket mass heater? Im trying to heat about 350 square foot. I was thinking 8" flue pipe.

I would love nothing more than to have a cob exterior but i thought in my climate i would run into insulation and moisture issues. I live in Wyoming where it can get down to -30 temps, strong wind, and a ton of snow. Thats why i was thinking just a cob interior and i happen to have that framed in portion of the metal building that i could use.

Awesome thank you. I'm starting to think that instead of taking all that risk, i would be better off just doing some of the interior cob and the rest wood framed.

I cant tell you much on the concrete pad itself as i did not put it in. It was already installed when i bought the house. I appreciate the information. I will do some more research and see what i can come up with. Do you have any insight that would help me solve those issues you listed?

I have a detached garage/shop that is metal. A portion of it is framed in and has insulation and drywall as well as a concrete floor, about 350 square feet. I would like to turn it into a man cave or 1 bedroom apartment. Would there be any issues if I redid the whole interior with cob over the drywall and added a rocketmass heater. Examples are putting up cob walls, building benches, etc as well as installing a bathroom. Essentially having a pure cob inside. Would I run into any issues with this. Breathing issues, moisture buildup issues or any unforseen issues. Thank you all in advance for any help.

Thank you for all the information. I will do some more research and see what I can find.

My climate zone was based off of the USDA plant hardiness map

I appreciate all the insight. My climate zone is about a 3b and I haven't really found any earth based homes in my climate zone.

I haven't heard of wood chip clay. One of the things I love about cob is the look of it and how you can shape and form it. Looks like I'm out of luck of the exterior cob looking house. If I just do cob on the interior with a regular exterior and insulation, will I run into issues with it not being able to breathe and causing problems while its drying.

I live Wyoming where -30 temps aren't uncommon, strong winds, and large amounts of snow. I'm wanting to build a new house out of cob but don't think an all cob house will work. I love everything about cob and I have to have it. How can I have my cob house with the climate I'm in? Any help is greatly appreciated.